Sister-Corps February 2025 Newsletter – 2024 Reflection, Volunteer Impact, and 2025 Goals

The February 2025 Sister-Corps newsletter looks back at 2024 and highlights Sister-Corps volunteer service, disaster recovery work, training, environmental initiatives, financial health, and goals for 2025 and beyond.

Kick Start 2025

Sister-Corps Board

Leeann Moore, President; Sherry Gibbons, Vice President; Jane Farmer, Treasurer; Lisa Moreland, Secretary; Greta Ringer; Gena Curtis; Joan Johnson; Debbie Grieve; Debbie Little; Brenda Williams

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Look Back at 2024

Sister-Corps is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2017. Its mission is to mobilize women volunteers to provide recovery support in areas affected by natural disasters, environmental challenges, and other community needs.

Sister-Corps is an action-based organization. The group responds and activates where needs are greatest, and its presence continued to grow in 2024. On average, projects were taking place at nearly two per month, and October was noted as a month of particularly high activity.

The organization’s primary focus is long-term recovery work. Typical projects include drywall installation and finishing, laminate flooring installation, painting, mobility ramp construction, and cabinet and door installation. Sister-Corps does not perform electrical work, plumbing, roofing, concrete work, or projects in areas with unmitigated mold.

The year 2024 marked the organization’s seventh year as a disaster relief organization and a year that held more “firsts” than any previous year. Partnerships and collaboration made the work stronger. Sister-Corps worked with Eight Days of Hope, KXLY, the Extreme Team, ROAD, Southern California VOAD, Hope Crisis Response Network, the National Park Service, Sisters on the Fly, United Way of Southwest Virginia, and Salvation Army. Disaster work stretched from Virginia to California, from Washington to Florida, and points in between.

In 2024, Sister-Corps deployed to Mississippi in March and to Oklahoma in April in response to tornadoes. In Amory, Mississippi, nearly fifty volunteers helped create a complete home “flip” in six days. This project also marked the first use of the Sister-Corps tool trailer.

Look Back Continued

The Shawnee, Oklahoma, project involved close to forty-five volunteers and marked another first for Sister-Corps, as it was the first time the organization worked under another agency, Recovering Oklahomans After Disaster, which served as planner and supervisor.

Before August 2024, Sister-Corps had not deployed a group for a long-term recovery effort in a wildfire-ravaged area. That changed after a connection was made through the Long-Term Recovery Group director at the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters conference in May. Spokane became one of the more active grass-roots led regional area projects in organizational history. It also marked another first, with volunteers housed in a church recreation hall or camping in the parking lot, resulting in no lodging costs.

Disaster Recovery and Relief Work

While Sister-Corps is not a first responder organization, it occasionally assists in disaster relief shortly after an event. In 2024, the organization quickly deployed a group of twenty-two volunteers to help rebuild in Damascus, Virginia, after Hurricane Helene caused massive flooding far across the inland region.

Also following Hurricane Helene’s devastation in western North Carolina, Sister-Corps volunteers prepared and delivered 150 “muck buckets” containing essential cleaning supplies, tools, and personal hygiene items to an approved distribution agency. Three weeks later, after Hurricane Milton, a small team assembled and delivered 60 additional muck buckets for Punta Gorda, Florida. This rapid response model is expected to become more common in future Sister-Corps work.

The average age of volunteers on most projects was 61–63 years of age, reflecting a dedicated and experienced volunteer base.

Volunteer Safety and Training

Volunteer safety remains a top priority for Sister-Corps. To ensure this, the organization has established strict safety policies including mandatory use of personal protective equipment appropriate to the project, a medical director who oversees safety protocols and procedures, and on-site medical advisors, triage teams, and first-aid support with well-equipped medical kits and AEDs.

To enhance volunteer skills, Sister-Corps offers carpentry classes that focus on safe tool use and basic construction techniques. In 2024, six classes were taught. This training brought fifty-six more volunteers to a more skilled and safer level for working with power tools.

For tasks requiring power tools, volunteers must complete safety training and receive verification of their skills. Certified volunteers are identified by decals on their hard hats. Chainsaw operators must also complete a certification course, the cost of which is reimbursed by Sister-Corps. The organization reported no injuries involving power tools to date.

Environmental Work and Community Service

For the third year, Sister-Corps maintained a volunteer partnership with Sequoia National Park under the direction and supervision of the ranger team. This special project continued to be an important part of the organization’s environmental service work. In the fifth year, there was also a large beach cleanup project on the coast of Texas.

Sister-Corps also held the national blood drive in both February and July-August. More than 150 blood products were donated across the United States through its partnership with Sisters on the Fly. Because of its exceptionally positive outcome, several donors indicated this had become a regular activity for them.

Financial Health

In 2024, Sister-Corps reported strong donations and total revenue that allowed it to conduct long-term recovery projects. Operating expenses reflected the necessary costs of administering a growing nonprofit, including insurance, website, tools, equipment, and more. The organization emphasized its commitment to training volunteers and maintaining a strong leadership team capable of doing the work and protecting donor funds through careful stewardship.

The organization noted that its percentage of expenses directed at programming remained in line with standards for a small nonprofit. Financial reports are posted on the Sister-Corps website and are open for public review.

Goals for 2025 and Beyond

Sister-Corps objectives for 2025 are focused on four key areas: marketing, growth, financial sustainability, and administrative efficiency.

Marketing is a critical priority because it not only drives donations but also helps recruit volunteers and increase name recognition, opening doors to new opportunities that expand the organization’s impact. To strengthen these efforts, Lori Carter, a marketing professional, joined the Advisory Panel. Plans also include developing a long-term marketing strategy, evaluating current practices, and partnering with firms and a videographer-editor on a year-long retainer to produce one short video per month.

Growth and leadership development are another major focus. Sister-Corps aims to increase its number of highly qualified Project Directors through a mentorship program. Two experienced skills directors will mentor selected volunteers with demonstrated carpentry and leadership abilities. Over the next two to three years, this initiative is expected to expand the team to at least nine qualified project directors.

To strengthen organizational capacity, Sister-Corps will prioritize networking with other groups, including active participation in Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters. The organization is also establishing a Board of Advisors made up of leaders from industries such as construction, transportation, insurance, and finance.

On the administrative front, the Board has set a goal to become proficient in using Microsoft Teams, leveraging its features to improve collaboration and efficiency in daily operations.

2024 President’s Volunteer Service Award Recipients

Sister-Corps volunteers were recognized through the national President’s Volunteer Service Award program for the time, skills, and talents they contributed in 2024. The organization noted that in 2024 there were forty-six awardees, an increase of 19% from 2023. Thirty volunteers received Bronze level recognition for 100–199 hours of volunteering, ten received the Silver Award for 200–499 hours, and six were awarded the Gold level for over 500 volunteer hours.

The national program, in place since the 1980s, recognizes volunteer contributions with a formula for monetary value. Sister-Corps volunteers contributed a value of approximately $500,274 in labor in 2024, and since 2017, that contribution has totaled more than $7 million.

About Sister-Corps

Sister-Corps is a women-led nonprofit organization dedicated to disaster recovery, environmental service, community support, and volunteer leadership development. Through hands-on service, practical compassion, and national partnerships, Sister-Corps continues to support communities in need across the United States.